Latest news with #HB269
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Utahns made repeated trips to the state's Capitol to make their voices heard this session
A crowd holds a pride flag during a LBGTQ+ rights protest at the Utah State Capitol on the last day of the legislative session, Friday, March 7, 2025. (Photo by Alex Goodlett for Utah News Dispatch) Utahns did not sit idly by as lawmakers worked to pass bills affecting the lives of groups like the LGBTQ+ community and public sector union members. Instead, these groups and their supporters showed up in numbers at times reaching the thousands to make their voices heard throughout Utah's 45-day legislative session. On Friday, the last day of the session, three separate demonstrations took place — one in support of federal funding for science and two in support of LGBTQ+ rights. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Demonstrators at Utah's Capitol this session also had their eyes on the federal government. Scientists, researchers and students showed up in a nationally organized 'Stand Up for Science' demonstration to speak out against federal funding cuts to the National Institute of Health that the Trump administration is trying to impose. 'This work is inherently beneficial to everyone, and de-prioritizing it by making funding decisions that negatively impact us is a decision that will continue to be felt for years,' Kailey Mahoney, a master's student at the University of Utah, said during the event. Utah's unique landscape was a focal point for several speakers at the event, with one calling Utah's national parks 'under attack.' The Trump administration has begun the process of firing 3,400 U.S. Forest Service Workers and, according to reporting from The Salt Lake Tribune, at least 17 Utah national park workers have been fired. 'We're not going to let that slide. We are not going to go down without a fight,' James Carter, a science communicator and social scientist, said. 'We are going to stand up for science today and going forward every day.' An hour later on Friday, self-described Salt Lake City drag entertainer Veronika DaVil independently organized a demonstration for the last day of the session. They also led a similar demonstration at the beginning of the session when HB269, which has now been signed into law, was being introduced. The law requires students to live in dorms that align with their biological sex and faced harsh criticism from the LGBTQ+ community, who called it discriminatory and harmful. Starting on the south steps of the Capitol, dressed in a shimmery, rainbow pantsuit, DaVil led a group of around 100 people into the building to the rotunda steps outside the House chamber, where people chanted, listened to speakers and put on an impromptu fashion show. 'Hate is taught, and (lawmakers) are choosing it over and over and over,' DaVil said. 'We gathered the first day of the legislative session because we knew there would be anti-trans and anti-queer laws, and guess what — there were a lot.' In response to both House and Senate passage of HB77, a bill that if signed by Gov. Spencer Cox would ban pride flags from being displayed in K-12 classrooms and on all government buildings, the Utah Pride Center later Friday unfurled a 200-foot pride flag outside the Capitol. Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, told protesters that even though HB77 did pass, there were other bills 'killed' including one that would have banned public funding for transgender medical procedures and another that would have 'stigmatized the work of drag queens.' Williams added that individuals can still wear pride flags in classrooms and made a promise to protesters. 'We are not giving up this work. We will work, whether we have to go to the court or whatever mechanism,' he said. 'I promise you all that the pride flag will fly downtown at City Hall during the (Pride) festival.' The queer community wasn't the only group outraged at lawmakers this year. Public union members vehemently opposed HB267, a bill that bans public sector unions, like those representing police, firefighters and teachers, from collective bargaining. Cox signed the bill into law on Feb.14 despite pleas from union members for the Republican governor to veto it. Union members made their voices heard by showing up to committee meetings, shouting outside of the Senate floor and filling the rotunda in large numbers. Now, members of the newly formed Protect Utah Workers coalition are attempting to run a referendum on HB267, which they can do if a bill did not receive two-thirds majority support from both the House and Senate. Utah was also not exempt from national public outcry against the Trump administration and Elon Musk. On Feb. 5, around 700 people gathered to protest Musk's insertion into the federal government, deportation efforts, abortion care bans, restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights, racism, fascism, and Trump himself. When asked about this demonstration, House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, told reporters at the time that activism must be followed by voter participation. 'I think it's important that people peacefully protest. I think it's their right, this is the people's house,' Romero said. 'I think it's important for people to show up for that, but also they need to show up to the polls.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What passed in the Alabama Legislature: Feb. 25-27, 2025
Alabama Senate convenes for a session, Feb. 25, 2005. (Photo/Stew Milne for the Alabama Reflector) Here is a list of the bills that passed in the Alabama Legislature this week. House HB 73, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Sellers, D-Pleasant Grove, prohibits the possession of a trigger activator in Jefferson County, which enables a firearm to shoot automatically without manual reloading. It passed 25-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 101, sponsored by Rep. Mark Shirey, R-Mobile, allows the Mobile County sheriff to create guidelines for using the Sheriff's Office credit or debit card. It passed 16-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 104, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, allows the governing body of a Class 2 municipality to determine whether debris is a public nuisance and remove it. It passed 29-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 269, sponsored by Rep. Alan Treadaway, R-Morris, expands the boundary lines in Morris to include the corporate limits of the town in Jefferson County. It passed 27-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 159, sponsored by Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, renames the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission. It passed 101-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 147, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Greenhill, places bids and purchases by volunteer fire stations under local competitive bid law requirements. It passed 99-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 163, sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, allows research companies to deduct research expenses in the year the company spends it, instead of waiting five years. It passed 99-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 195, sponsored by Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, allows disabled veterans to get a disabled veteran license plate when their physical disability is at least 50%, instead of when the disability exceeds 50% of the veteran's mobility. It passed 100-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 205, sponsored by Rep. Kerry Underwood, R-Tuscumbia, revises tax exemptions for personal property to include use taxes instead of only sales tax. It passed 101-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 261, sponsored by Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, allows nonresident surplus line brokers to obtain a license from the Department of Insurance without a surety bond. It passed 102-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. SB 48, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, increases the Board of Registrar's pay from $80 to $115 each day a member participates in the business of the board. It passed 101-0. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. HB 94, sponsored by Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, expands the definition of a Class B felony in second-degree human trafficking to include online or print advertising of sexual labor. It passed 103-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 250, sponsored by Rep. Kerry Underwood, R-Tuscumbia, requires public office candidates to submit a statement of economic interests within five days of the qualifying deadline, instead of within five days of filing for candidacy. It passed 100-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 106, sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, expands the coverage of catastrophe savings accounts to expenses less than $15,000. It passed 101-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 88, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Starnes, R-Prattville, distinguished parole officers as law enforcement officers. It passed 102-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 84, sponsored by Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, updates procedures for licensing and renewing licensing for chiropractors. It passed 100-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 238, sponsored by Rep. Parker Moore, R-Hartselle, allows nonviolent criminals that have served their time to receive an occupational license. It passed 97-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 266, sponsored by Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, creates a non-traditional high school diploma program for dropouts. It passed 103-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 262, sponsored by Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, updates the state's life insurance policy to reference the correct section of the Code of Alabama 1975. It passed 103-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 57, sponsored by Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, prohibits local boards of education from purchasing land for its school that is outside of the school's municipality. It passed 76-8. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 287, sponsored by Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, requires law enforcement agencies to annually report how many sworn-in officers are employed to the state. It passed 86-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. Senate SB 116, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, would make it a state crime to possess or distribute firearm conversion devices, commonly referred to as 'Glock switches,' which enable semi-automatic pistols to fire as fully automatic weapons. The bill passed 28-0. It goes to the House. SB 118, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, would allow a judge to deny bail in cases of discharging a weapon into an occupied building, conspiracy or solicitation of murder. The bill passed 29-0. It goes to the House. SB 108, sponsored by Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, would establish the crime of mail theft, or when a person takes mail addressed to another person from the addressee's mailbox. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House. SB 47, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, would include community emergency response team members among first responders exempt from civil liability when providing aid. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House. SB 68, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, would make it so the governing body of a local emergency management organization has the authority to enter into mutual aid agreements — instead of the organization's president. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House. House HB 220, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, allows the St. Clair County sheriff to create guidelines for using the Sheriff's Office credit or debit card. It passed 15-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 221, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, changes the salary of the St. Clair County revenue commissioner to be the same as the county's probate judge. It passed 14-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 223, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, authorizes the St. Clair County Commission to pay county officials' cost of living adjustment. It passed 12-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 236, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Fidler, R-Silverhill, increases the supplemental per diem pay of the board of equalization members from $150 to $200. It passed 20-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 254, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, allows the St. Clair County Mental Health Officer to commit individuals under certain circumstances. It passed 11-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 289, sponsored by Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville, updates the allocations for Tennessee Valley Authority in Marshall County. It passed 10-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 294, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, allows the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit to auction, sell and destroy abandoned, stolen and unclaimed property obtained by the unit. It passed 12-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 301, sponsored by Rep. Brett Easterbrook, R-Fruitdale, abolished the Choctaw County office of constable. It passed 13-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 167, sponsored by Rep. Alan Treadaway, R-Morris, allows tow companies to report towed vehicles as unclaimed immediately to the Department of Revenue, instead of waiting five days. It passed 100-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 158, sponsored by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, established a procedure for cost of living adjustments for retired teachers and state employees through the Education Trust Fund and General Fund appropriations. It passed 97-3. The bill now goes to the Senate. SB 36, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, allows educational institutions and some state agencies to place bids online, in addition to in person. It passed 103-0. The bill now goes to Ivey. HB 66, sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, prohibits people convicted of elder abuse from receiving any benefits associated with the death of the victim. It passed 103-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 280, sponsored by Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, requires participants of unpermitted events to reimburse municipalities. It passed 70-22. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 214, sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, allows the Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology to enter the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact. It passed 102-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. SB 59, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, allows the dependents of active duty military to provide medical and immunization records to enroll in a public or private school. It passed 100-0. The bill now goes to Ivey. HB 157, sponsored by Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, sets the base pay for elected and appointed local officials as the same as their predecessor's base pay. It passed 97-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 222, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, allows the Board of Pardons and Paroles to share GPS data with local law enforcement agencies during an active investigation. It passed 102-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 17, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, prohibits squatted trucks from being raised four inches higher in the front fender than the back fender. It passed 102-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. SB 4, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, allows local sheriffs and police chiefs to contract a school resource officer for nonpublic K-12 schools. It passed 102-0. The bill now goes to Ivey. HB 187, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, allows fees from the Sheriff's Fund to be spent on law enforcement functions of the office, instead of only for jail operations. It passed 97-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 44, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, reopens the Teachers' Retirement System to allow credits for prior services in St. Clair County. It passed 88-0. The bill now goes to the Senate. Senate SB 140, sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, would require the Alabama Department of Public Health to notify youth athletics associations that are not in compliance with the Coach Safety Act and allow ADPH to fine associations after two years of non-compliance. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House. SB 83, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would require the adult changing tables to be powered and height-adjustable, and installed in newly constructed or renovated public buildings starting in 2028. The bill passed 27-0. It goes to the House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah Legislature OKs bill limiting access to dorms for transgender students
Utah lawmakers gave final approval to a bill limiting where transgender students can reside in dorm rooms at public universities Monday, after online backlash against a transgender resident assistant at Utah State University. Sponsor Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, said the bill allows transgender students to reside in gender-neutral housing, meaning they will still have options for on-campus housing. "I want to be very, very clear: This is a sensitive and emotional issue, but no person deserves harassment — trans or otherwise," she told her House colleagues last month. The bill cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday morning after the Senate approved it on Thursday with minor changes. There was no discussion of the bill on the House floor, but Gricius cast some lighthearted shade toward senators in describing the recent changes. "Our dear senators didn't know what a birth certificate was, so we added the definition for them," she said. That definition states that an "unamended birth certificate" is "a birth certificate with no amendment history; or with no amendment history that: does not include gender-related amendments; or includes gender-related amendments that only: correct(s) an error or omission resulting from a scrivener's error ... or correct(s) a misidentification of birth sex for an intersex individual." HB269 passed along mostly partisan lines, with one Republican voting against it in the Senate. Republicans have said the bill protects women from biological males in private spaces, while Democrats argued the issue is already addressed on an individual basis at each university and the bill needlessly singles out transgender Utahns.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah poised to pass transgender rule on dorms, marking 4th year of LGBTQ+ restrictions
People rally in support of transgender rights at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on the first day of the legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) For the fourth year in a row, the Utah Legislature appears about to pass another bill that targets the transgender community. A bill that would require transgender students at public universities to live in dorms corresponding with their sex at birth, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, passed Senate on Thursday. It faces just one more vote in the House before receiving final legislative approval. Opponents blasted HB269 for targeting the transgender community, creating potential litigation and legal concerns, and as government overreach. The bill easily passed the Senate 22-7 in a near party-line vote. During Wednesday's debate of the bill, Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, criticized the Legislature for using a single case that 'blew up on social media' to create new policy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Riebe was referring to a viral social media post from the mother of a Utah State University student who complained to the school because her daughter was sharing a common space with a transgender resident assistant, who had been randomly assigned to live in the dorm. 'We hear one case blowing up social media, and we're creating a law — a heavy-handed law — to change policy that's worked for generations. If we don't believe social media should be guiding our actions, then this is a bill that shouldn't be guiding our actions,' Riebe said. 'Our universities have done a fantastic job working to make sure every student's as safe as they can, and I believe that this is overreach, and we should allow our universities to rectify these situations.' Republican Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, told lawmakers he was concerned that there were no protections for students who live in private housing when it acts as an extension of the universities. 'My concern is that there isn't a remedy for those individuals that have that (random roommate) assignment,' he said. 'Even though it's private property … I would say 90% to 95% or more of those students all are university-based or at a state entity, and so, having no protections in there makes me a little bit concerned.' Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, brought up constitutional concerns surrounding the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which requires states to treat people equally under the law. Escamilla questioned a provision in the bill that would still restrict a transgender person from living in a dorm of their choosing even if they have a birth certificate that has a changed gender marker and undergone surgery. 'If that person had already an amended birth certificate and has gone through that transition of surgery, how is that not an equal protection violation when that person does not match where you're going to send them?' Utah House passes bill changing university housing policies for transgender students Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, answered and said he didn't know if it was appropriate to do a legal analysis on the bill. 'I would say that it is overall from a legislative standpoint, it is not an equal protection violation, because the designation between male and female has been upheld in court in almost every circumstance, and it is not tied to the genitalia of the person, it is tied to their genetic makeup at the time of birth,' Brammer said. Escamilla said when someone has gone through the defined legal process of fully transitioning, including surgery and changing the gender marker on their birth certificate, the genetic piece is not clear. 'The impact is so big,' she said. 'I do believe there may be an equal protection piece because otherwise, you're looking at these individuals who have gone through transition … why wouldn't they not be then seen as that complete person that they are under that new place?' Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, was the only Republican to vote against the bill alongside Democrats. He cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that states gender necessarily includes gender identity, and therefore any infringement that would be prohibited on gender is also prohibited on gender identity. In a 6-3 decision in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that firing people for their sexual orientation or gender identity is sex discrimination, which is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 'It is my belief that just like many of the other bills that we have passed that infringed on gender identity, this will also be unconstitutional,' Thatcher said. 'But the damage isn't necessarily the bills that we pass. It's the messages that we send, and sometimes we pass bills because they are messages.' Brammer, in his summation, addressed Thatcher's concern. 'That was a very narrow decision that was limited only to Title VII employment situations,' he said. 'I've read the case. It's not applicable to these situations in any way, and (the justices) were very careful to make sure that it was not, and to a large extent, that's why the Supreme Court has taken up very similar cases in the sense of transgender surgeries that they'll be deciding in June.' The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on United States v. Skrmetti, a case about medical treatment for transgender children. Utah banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023. As the bill was discussed again on Thursday, Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, said the last several years of legislation targeted toward transgender individuals have made that community feel isolated. 'It does break my heart on some degree, that every year for the last four years, we have had very targeted legislation toward them,' she said. 'They will never be legislated out of existence. They will be adored, loved and treasured by some of us for the rest of all of our lives.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A bill on housing for transgender students passes Utah Senate committee
A state Senate committee heard emotional testimony on House Bill 269 on Thursday. The bill would prohibit transgender students at public colleges from living in dorms that don't match their biological sex. The bill, which, as the Deseret News previously reported, already received approval from a House committee, continues to generate intense debate. Front and center at the hearing were two Utah State University students — freshman Avery Saltzman and sophomore Marcie Robertson, a transgender resident assistant. The two were randomly assigned to room together. 'I would never have chosen to live on campus in an apartment with a man identifying as a woman,' Saltzman told the Senate Education Committee. '(This situation) puts women in a position where we have to decide to put ourselves at risk... or face social persecution.' 'I began receiving harassing emails and credible threats to safety,' Robertson said. 'If this legislation is truly about the comfort of cis-gender students, then it is sorely counterproductive to remove transgender people from sex-designated housing... Comfort and understanding is not bred out of shoving us in a corner. It's done by open conversation.' The bill passed the Senate Education Committee. All committee members but Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Salt Lake City, voted in favor of the bill. The bill now heads to the full Senate. The bill, HB269, tries to balance anti-discrimination protections with privacy concerns over restrooms, locker rooms and housing. Specifically, the bill mandates that individuals stay in rooms that correspond with their sex designation, regardless of their gender identity or even the sex their birth certificate indicates (in the case of birth certificate changes). The ACLU of Utah is opposed to the legislation, as is the Utah House Democratic Caucus, which released a public statement outlining their unanimous opposition to the bill, where they expressed their dismay with the legislation. But supporters of the bill say that the measure ensures safety and privacy. 'We shouldn't be here,' testified Cheryl Saltzman, Avery Saltzman's mother. 'This should never have been allowed to happen. 'My intention... is to protect my three daughters and every single woman."
